Actually, the next big thing for Joe Diffie - the man who carried country fans through the 1990s with country ditties like "Third Rock From the Sun" and "John Deere Green" - has set his sights on bluegrass.

"I'm just looking forward to getting out and doing some different stuff," said the 51-year-old in his heavy Oklahoma accent during a telephone interview. "I've been singing country for 20 years now. It's kind of using some new nerves I haven't had in a while."

Diffie is the Saturday headliner at this year's Pickin' in the Panhandle, the West Virginia State BBQ & Bluegrass Festival near Martinsburg, W.Va. The festival starts Friday, Sept. 10, and continues through Sunday, Sept. 12, with Ricky Skaggs closing out the show.

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Diffie's performance precedes the release of his first-ever bluegrass album, "Homecoming," cut by indie roots music label Rounder Records. The album, due in stores Oct. 26, includes some standards, some originals and some twists - like a bluegrass version of "Hard to Handle," the Otis Redding song spurred to popularity in the 1990s by The Black Crowes.

"Homecoming" is Diffie's first bluegrass record, but it's not his first time performing bluegrass. Before he made it big in Nashville, Tenn., Diffie performed with a bluegrass outfit called Special Edition.

The country music industry has been good to Diffie ever since.

Diffie left his native Oklahoma for Nashville in 1986, squeezing in time between shifts at Gibson Guitar warehouse to make music.

By 1990, Diffie was signed with a major label and had released his debut album, "A Thousand Winding Roads." Now a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Diffie raked in a slew of platinum-selling records in the early 1990s and has continued to make music.

So why do a bluegrass album now?

"I just wanted to make a killing in bluegrass - no, I'm kidding," Diffie said. "I have just always loved it, and I had the idea in the back of my head, kind of a dormant idea. I was so busy doing all this other stuff, but finally the opportunity presented itself."

Diffie lives in Nashville and has five kids. The youngest is his 6-year-old daughter. For years, he hosted benefit concerts to benefit First Steps, a school in Nashville for special needs children.

His own son, Tyler Diffie, 21, has Down syndrome.

"I figure I've been really blessed in my life," Diffie said. "If I have a chance to help somebody else, it's a cool thing to do. It makes me feel good about myself. Like I say, if we raise some money for some other families, it's a great thing. It harbors a sense of community."

A few months ago, two of his older children Parker Diffie, 29, and Kara Diffie, 24, auditioned for "American Idol."

"Yeah, my son Parker was a little bit of a surprise because he works with me on the road," Diffie said. "I didn't know until the last minute. He actually missed one of the shows so that he could go audition."

His youngest son, Drew, 19, has been showing interest in music, too.

"He's a fanatic about playing guitar. It's all he wants to do," Diffie said. "He likes that stuff I'm not very familiar with, that heavy metal, that progressive stuff."

Diffie said he encourages his kids to follow in his footsteps and pursue a career in music - dues paying and all.

"It makes it sweeter if you do pay the dues, persevere and work through all of it," Diffie said. "You appreciate it even more if you do make it.

"I tell both my oldest children, who are good singers, Parker and Kara, you've got to really want it. Nobody's going to call you up and say 'Hey, you want to sing?' You've got to pursue it."